Dead Squad: Season 2, book 2 - Home
by mandowriter
Summary: After a failed goods transfer on Hoth - the contents of which could have proven deadly to the grand army - the crew of the Trailbreaker need a place to lay low. With tensions running high, unexpected allies and a deadly prisoner in their midst, Taler is finding it harder and harder to understand life as a free man. His trust had been shattered, and he no longer feels safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

**The path less travelled**

_YG-4210 freighter "Trail-breaker"_

_Outer Rim_

_Mandalore System_

A dim light filtered down from the illuminators that were recessed into the ceiling of the freighters cargo bay. The silent and dormant drum shape of the ships faithful, if eccentric, astromech stood beside the stack of crates that had become an almost permanent makeshift workstation, its lights ominously dark, and its communcations chip painfully silent. Dark stains still smeared across its once glorious yellow paint job, and scorch marks still clung to the leg joints.

Taler Galaar, ex-republic commando 1133, looked down at the sorry looking droid, a strange kinship resonating through his body. They were more alike than many people would ever realise. Both made to serve those who thought themselves better than them. Both tasked with doing the jobs others would sneer at. And both seen as dispensible by people who would lie to their faces. Was this really how people saw him? Just a droid? Was that why they had clad them in that shiny white armour, to hide the faces from the masses, to let them distance themselves from the horrors they were condoning?

He had watched his squad mates be killed in front of him. His brothers. He had seen the horror in their eyes as the life left them. It was a vision that would haunt him to his grave. And then he had been cast aside, abandoned to the fates of the galaxy, a pawn in a war he had no stake in. All because he was seen as nothing more than a 'wet droid'.

And now, just like him, Sparky - the astromech - had been used against his will, without even knowing. On Nar Shaddaa, he had been shut down remotely by a stun pulse, like those carried by Jawas, and he had been implanted with a tracking device. A tracking device that had let another bounty hunter follow them across the outer rim to Hoth.

The planet was many light years behind them now, but the memories and images of what had happened beneath that icy landscape would forever be etched into his life, mentally, and physically. A quick glance at his helmet was enough to prove the point. Resting on the work station a few meters away, with the rest of his armour in need of some hefty repair work, he saw the dim lights glint off the three gouge marks that sliced through his visor, a parting gift from an angry Wampa. An icy feeling swept down his spine, but whether it was remembering the frozen air or the fear he had felt, he did not know.

Biting down on the sudden wave of panic, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his aching heart. He really wished he could cope with his emotions, but his accelerated aging had robbed him of a childhood, that wonderful time when all sentient beings learnt how to cope with everything life would throw at them. The impulse to scream began to subside, but it remained at the back of his mind, a silent whisper taunting him from the shadows.

Opening his eyes once more, he let his shoulders sag as he knelt down beside the deactivated droid. He opened the panel next to Sparky's left leg and gently placed the covering on the worksurface. A quick investigation showed that the tracking device had been crudely spliced into the droids main power supply, but it had a signal disruptor to defeat the internal systems checks that would have identified it as a glitch. It was a fast but professional job.

Taler took pity on the droid and tapped the top of its dome affectionately, shaking his head in sympathy. He couldnt help but feel a little responsible. It was he that had sent the droid back to the ship alone so that he could chase the green armoured female mando. And all the while, her own accomplices were violating the astromech's systems.

"Sorry, Sparky," he whispered.

Taler reached inside the maintenence hatch on the drum of the astromech and pulled aside the cables, revealing the pulse beacon. Disconnecting the signal disruptor, and tossing the cables aside onto the workstation, he ducked down and looked deep inside the inner workings and watched as lights began to flicker across the small device, and a rapid beeping began to emenate from inside Sparky's core. Taler's eyes widened in annoyance. The pulse beacon had been rigged with a failsafe.

Plunging his cybernatic hand into the mess of wires and sensors, he clamped his fingers around the flickering device. Wrenching it out, the beeping grew faster and Taler could feel it heating up as the power surged through it and armed the micro detonator buried within it. Another surge of anger began to build up in Taler's heart as he thought of the calous way in which the bounty hunters were willing to destroy Sparky in order to protect their own identity. His brow creased, his teeth ground noisily, and his heart began to race.

Lights flickered rapidly across the device as the beeping became almost a constant whining.

The servos in Taler's hand whirred loudly as the fingers began to clench, and in a shower of sparks, the pulse beacon crumpled in on itself, the force of his mechanical hand crushing it completely. It ruptured in a ball of sparks and smoke, the burning scent of ozone filtering up through his flared nostrils, and the beeping stopped abruptly, dying away in a strangled electronic screech. Unclenching his fingers, Taler let the device fall to the floor, a few last sparks spitting feebly from its shattered shell. He glared down at it, the anger still flooding his veins.

Anger was clouding his mind, and as much as he tried, he could not stop the memories of Hoth from resurfacing and floating across his vision. The look in the Quarren's eyes as he had reached out through the force towards the cavern ceiling still haunted him when he closed his eyes. Even in the last moments, Taler had seen the arrogance gleaming in those pale blue orbs. He had still believed that what he was doing was right. He had still thought himself better than a clone. The Jedi had brought the ice sheet down on top of them both, killing himself and denying Taler his revenge.

The fire that had burnt within his heart since that moment of realisation on Geonosis would continue to burn unabated until he could quench its thirst with the sweet release of vengence.

The anger bubbled up inside him again, his eyes blinded by the red mist, and his ears filled with the rushing sounds of his untempered blood. For days now he had not been able to rest. Every time he had closed his eyes, the events of the past week would surface and haunt his every waking moment. It was becoming unbearable.

He had been lied to, betrayed, attacked, left for dead - for the second time - and denied the only thing he had ever really wanted. To avenge his brothers. He had never been taught how to cope with these feelings. All he had ever knows was combat. He had been imbued with all the knowledge needed to track, infiltrate, and sabotage, and he had learnt the most expedient way to kill almost any species in the galaxy.

But he had never been told how to deal with the thoughts that crept from the dark corners of his mind. The guilt. The confusion. The pain.

For a brief, horrible moment, he saw the face of an Ithorian he had been tasked with capturing a few weeks before. The lifeless, fearful glare of a being that had died in the crossfire. He had seen death so many times in his short life, why did this one death bother him so much?

"There stands a troubled man."

The soft, yet sinister voice rang out from the far end of the cargo bay, slicing through Taler's thoughts and making his blood run cold. He had become distracted by his emotions, and they had blinded him to the simple fact that he was not alone.

Hidden in the shadows at the far end of the cargo bay, pressed up against the outer bulkhead, was a row of three containment cells, the almost invisible forcefields shimmering dimly in the gloom. The first two were empty, the forcefield generators humming silently with the drone of the power conduits hidden in the bulkheads. But the third was occupied.

Sitting in the far corner, her back against the vertical support that contained the forcefield emmiters and suspended the ceiling of the cell, was the green armoured bounty hunter who had tormented him on Nar Shaddaa. She had evaded him and escaped before tracking them to Hoth and then infiltrating their ship. Her helmet, her armour and her weapons had all been confiscated while she was unconscious - a lingering gift from the stun staff Taler had jabbed into her abdomen - and she sat in the shadows wearing the green trousers and dark grey top of her undersuit. Most of her face was hidden in shadows, the dim light barely strong enough to show her outline. But from beneath her long flowing orange hair, Taler could see her eyes studying him.

"Something on your mind, soldier boy?" She sneered. Taler could not tear his eyes from hers. They were unlike any he had ever seen before. Even in the darkness of the cargo bay, they seemed to shine, radiating light. He could feel them piercing through his own and into the depth of his soul. He had never felt like this before. His blood surged through his veins and he clenched his fists by his side. Was it hatred he felt, or was it something else that he had been denied knowledge of?

She was getting into his head, and he didn't like it. Grunting angrily, he snapped his head away from her, trying to concentrate on Sparky.

"Not as chatty as you were on Nar Shaddaa, I see," she said casually. Taler glared back at her and he could have sworn he saw her grin. "That's okay." She lifted her hands and tucked them behind her head as though she was reclining on a comfortable bunk. "Didn't expect you to talk much anyway. Fett always was a quiet one, and I'd expect even less from a copy."

That was all he could take. Taler felt her words sting as they tore through his heart, and in a heartbeat he had leapt to his feet and was charging across the cargo bay, screaming with rage. He was only a few meters from the containment field controls, his hand already stretched out to deactivate them when a voice barked at him from the door.

"Taler, stop!" It said. Years of conditioning had made him react instantly to orders, regardless of his emotional state. Every muscle in his body tensed, rooting him to the spot and stopping him in his tracks. He turned his head sharply towards the door and saw the bulky silhouette of Kyr'am standing there. The Mandalorian who had saved him from Geonosis. The man who had adopted him. The father who had lied to him.

All his emotions were swirling around inside him, and he could not separate one from another. He was drowning in his own thoughts and it was making it difficult to breath.

"Take a walk, son," Kyr'am whispered softly, taking a few steps towards him. Taler reacted instantly, backing away from him. He saw a ripple of pain break the shimmering grey of Kyr'am's eyes at this, and even through the hate and anger, he felt pity and shame.

It was all getting too much for him.

With a final glance over his shoulder at the grinning mandalorian girl, he turned away and stormed out of the room, the people left behind but the feelings and thoughts following him like a shadow.

* * *

_Bathwa-class star yacht "Kessel's Breath"_

The Corellian slice hound lay on the floor in the corner of the cramped cockpit, noisily licking its hind leg and whimpering each time its coarse tongue tugged on its fur. Juel Suund, Sullustan and now-former communications officer for the smuggling ship 'Krayt Dragon', huffed loudly as he leaned forwards onto the controls, turning his head and craning his neck to peer back at the rear of the cockpit.

"If it hurts, stop licking it!" he said matter-of-factly, as though it was an obvious solution. The slice hound lifted her head and stared up at him, cocking her head to one side, her ears twitching lightly and twisting towards his voice. Her red eyes glowed in the dim light of the controls. Many people looked into those eyes with dread, seeing northing but a savage creature. But not Juel.

Ever since he had first found her as a pup in the jungles of Dom-Bradden and taken her in, he had looked into those eyes with love and compassion. They had understood one another almost instantly, and had developed a bond that neither could break. They had needed one another and had found something they had each been missing. Juel could not help but smile down at her as she looked up at him with those warm eyes.

Shaking his head in amusement, he turned to look back out the view screen and reclined in his seat, letting his hand drop down by the side of the chair. The Slice hound struggled to her feet and shuffled towards him, licking the tips of his fingers before nudging his hand aside and slipping beneath it, letting it come to rest behind her ear. Juel's hand reacted instinctively and began to scratch her fur, feeling the soft rumble of her contented growls vibrating through her skull and across his palm.

"You're a good girl, Haze, but you ain't half stupid sometimes," he said with a laugh. She snorted loudly as though she could understand his words and was insulted by his remark, but it died away almost instantly as she leaned against the chair, loosing herself in the relaxing motion of his hand. Juel smiled down affectionately at her. He knew that even if everything in the galaxy turned to _poodoo_, as long as he had Haze by his side, he would be okay.

Outside the view screen of the small yacht, the twinkling lights of distant stars were scattered across the heavens. Up to the left side of the screen, the stars grew denser, and swirls of colour could be seen merging and flowing into one another. The vast intergalactic dance played out before him, moving in an ever-changing rhythm to the melodies of a billion lives. He had often thought that if he concentrated hard enough he could almost hear the music, to sense it flowing through him on its journey through the stars. But just as the thoughts began to flutter through his mind, a blinking light on the console drew his attention away.

Leaning forwards, he reached towards the comms station to activate the signal scramblers that had been installed. The interruption in her ear scratch brought a series of irritated grunts from Haze as she looked up at Juel with a distinct air of being unimpressed.

A few moments passed before the scramblers locked and the comms channel opened, a dull background hiss whispering from the head set that rested on the controls. Juel scooped them up and pressed them against his ears.

"Suund? You there?" A gruff voice crackled across the speakers. He had only known the owner of the voice for about a day, and they had started off on opposite sides of a fairly costly fire fight, but he could hear the irritation in his voice.

"I read ya strength four, chief," Juel replied. "You sound like someone's been ruffling your feathers the wrong way," he added tactfully. There was an audible sigh from the other end of the comlink, and Juel couldn't help himself. Leaning forwards and craning his neck, he looked out through the left side of the canopy and saw the bulky shape of the Corellian freighter floating a few hundred meters off their port bow.

A few hours ago, he had been held captive within its galley, an unexpected guest of a green armoured Mandalorian. That situation had come to an abrupt end with Kyr'am's son zapping her with a stun staff. Everything had been a bit of a mess, but once the storm had cleared, Kyr'am had offered Juel the fem-mando's ship and said he could be on his way. And though tempting, Juel had never thought of making it on his own, and he had decided to stick with Kyr'am a while. Now both ships were flying in formation, heading towards an unknown location.

"Our guest is making her presence known to everyone," Kyr'am sighed. Juel knew there was more to it than that. Kyr'am was more than people would take him for. The galaxy at large, all Mandalorians were merciless, soulless hunters, scouring the galaxy for the next big hunt regardless of the targets story. And yes, there were some out there fitted this stereotype. But there were others, and Kyr'am was definitely part of the later.

The fear that had been etched onto Kyr'am's face the first time he had seen him, and the relief that had spread through him when he had seen his son return, it was something all family men had. It was an almost overwhelming compulsion to draw people towards them, to be part of a bigger group they could call their family, even if it was not their own blood. And the problem with that was they then cared too much.

"Ah," was all Juel could think to say. Silence descended across the link for a moment, and even Haze seemed to look expectantly out the view screen towards the battered freighter.

"I'm sending you the last set of coordinates now," Kyr'am said finally, a sense of resignation seeping through his words as the screen lit up in front of Juel. Numbers began to filter through the navigational computer and it beeped happily when it completed its final route calculations.

"Received," Juel said promptly.

"Roger that," Kyr'am said quietly. "See you down there."

The comlink snapped into silence, and Juel put the headset back down on the sloping controls in front of him. The 'TrailBreaker' angled away, banking to port, its ion drives flaring as the throttles were pushed forwards. It roared away, heading towards an innocuous green and blue planet further into the system.

Locking his chair in the upright position, Juel took hold of the controls and rested his hand on the throttle. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced towards the Corellian slice hound.

"Let's go, girl," he smiled, winking at her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

**Home soil**

"_Cabur Aliit"_

_Mandalore_

_Mandalore System_

The rain kept the dust down and made the landing pad glisten like a rippling lake, the pools of water spraying everywhere as the down-draft from the freighter hammered against the duracrete deck. The landing struts creaked loudly as the weight of the ship came to rest upon them and the roar of the engines died away, fading beneath the howling wind outside the canopy. Kyr'am flicked the last few switches above his head and deactivated the controls, locking the ship and preventing anyone from taking it without the proper access codes.

He sighed loudly and reclined in his chair. This was not how he had hoped he would feel when he cast his eyes across his home.

Hidden in the clearing of a forest, and shielded from above by a large overhanging cliff, the place he called home was nothing more than a bunker that he could use for storage and for defence. To most offworlders it would have looked ugly, uncomfortable and uninviting, but to his aging eyes, it was a warm and welcoming sight. At least it would have been had his heart not been so troubled.

Standing up slowly, the action of the past few days making his joints feel a little worse for wear, he picked up the sniper rifle that was leaning against the doorframe and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up his helmet, but instead of putting it on his head, he clipped it to his belt, and he left the now silent cockpit, the only sound he could hear coming from the ship was the cooling of the ion drives and the hiss of the rain drops as they fell on the super heated panels. As he weaved his way through the ship towards the cargo bay, he passed the cabin that he had gifted to his adopted son, Taler, and a ripple of worry flickered through his heart as he saw the door open an the cabin empty.

A dull droning sound echoed through the corridor, ended by a soft thud, and Kyr'am knew that it was the cargo ramp in the main bay. Without running, he rushed to the cargo bay and as he rounded the doorframe, he found himself looking down the lowered ramp, the dark, stormy night beyond lanced with raindrops that lit up as they passed through the pool of light from inside the ship.

Taler had already left.

Sparky, the astromech droid, had been reactivated and was standing at the top of the ramp, whining sadly as though he were some scolded animal.

"Your pet seemed to be in a bit of a rush," the girl in the holding cell said happily. Kyr'am was in no mood to be dealing with her right now. In previous years he would have flushed her out into space the moment they would have left the atmosphere of Hoth and let her body become a permanent feature in orbit of the ice planet. But he needed to know what was going on first. He needed her alive... For now.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off her grinning face, he made his way across the cargo bay to the holding cell controls. Reaching into the cabinet beside it, he pulled out a pair of shock cuffs and with a flick of his wrist, tossed them into the cell, the chip inside it allowing it to pass through the energy field.

"Put them on," he said simply. She shrugged, leaning against the support column, and with a deliberate show of no enthusiasm, she slipped them over her wrists. Kyr'am tapped the controls on his wrist plate and they contracted instantly, growing tight around her wrists and locking into place.

"Ouch," she said sarcastically, though the slight twitch at the corner of her eye betrayed the discomfort she felt. Kyr'am lowered his hand to the holster on his thigh and removed one of his handheld blaster, levelling it from his hip towards her before he tapped the controls on the wall, and the energy field deactivated.

"Out," he ordered. She did as she was told, and began to walk slowly down the ramp, the cold Mandalore wind rushing up and flicking her hair across her face. Kyr'am followed her out - Sparky trundling along behind him – staying close enough to make sure the shot would kill her instantly, but not too close that she could get inside his guard should she try to escape. He had learnt very early on in his bounty hunter career that you never place the barrel of your gun right up against someone's back. It was far too easy for them to escape from that.

The metal floor beneath his feet changed to wet duracrete, and the biting wind threw the icy droplets against his unshaven face. The cold rushed around him and even though his armour was pressure sealed, he felt a shiver prickle at his spine. Sparky chirped loudly and his dome spun around to look behind him, making worried noises. Kyr'am looked back over his shoulder, a sense that he was being watched creeping over him. He had grown to trust these seemingly irrational feelings, but as he looked around – instantly wishing that he had put his helmet on in order to use the range of sensors that were built into it – he could see nothing but the trees and the rain.

For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow move behind one of the landing struts, but as he blinked, it vanished and he was left looking at nothing. Still unable to shift the feeling, he turned away and saw that the Mando girl had stopped and was looking at him with an exasperated grimace. Her hair was soaked through, and her clothes were drenched by the driving rain. She gave him the impression of a drowned wamprat.

"Move," he said harshly, flicking his blaster towards the entrance of the bunker. Blowing a wet strand of hair from her face, the girl grumpily did as she was told. He had to admit, he respected her nerve. She was not acting as though she was scared or afraid. If anything she seemed more annoyed. But Kyr'am also knew that it was all an act, he had seen it often enough.

Stepping down the ramp that lead to the hidden entrance to the bunker, Kyr'am got a little closer to her than he had before, but that was only to prevent the automated defences from blasting her atoms before they detected him. They were still locked in their hidden mountings, so Kyr'am knew that Taler had not ventured near the bunker yet. He only hoped that he had not run away.

The door to the bunker slipped open, and revealed a narrow corridor inside that led to an open central space where the rooms branched off like the spokes on a wheel. As he slipped through the door, he tapped the controls mounted on the door frame and deactivated the automatic defences. It was a risk, but he did not want Taler or Juel getting killed.

"What a lovely hovel you have here," the girl said again, determined to try and irritate him. He knew the tricks. She would try and wind him up until he made a mistake and then take advantage and try to escape. But Kyr'am also knew that whatever she knew was of value to him, and he knew there was nothing more important than information. His deal with Relnar flashed through his mind, and he knew he had a lot to do to try and salvage what he could from that mess.

"Just keep it to yourself," he said, bitingly.

Heading towards the central room, he tapped the controls on a hidden door, and watched as it slip open revealing a dark staircase behind. He indicated for her to go through the door.

"You stay here, Sparky," he said. Once inside, the door sealed itself behind Kyr'am. At the bottom of the stairs was another corridor with doors leading off on both sides. Kyr'am opened the nearest one and the lights activated automatically. Inside were more holding cells, only a little bigger than the ones on the ship, but still as deadly to anyone trying to escape them. He guided the girl towards the nearest one, and as she stepped inside, he activated the containment fields.

A blue shimmering wall erupted between them, and Kyr'am finally let his gun drop to his side, though he still did not holster it, the feeling of being watched still lingering at the back of his mind. He turned to leave and stopped when the girl called out in annoyance.

"Hey, what about these?" she said, lifting her still bound wrists.

"Keep them, as a gift," Kyr'am said harshly. Without waiting for a complaint, he left and sealed the room. Walking back up the stairs, he opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. Sparky was not there. He could hear his aggravated tweeting coming from somewhere near the central room, and as he neared him, he could hear another voice.

It cut off sharply, and Sparky zoomed out of the central chamber and almost bowled Kyr'am over.

"Watch it, you little crosswire," he yelled angrilly. Sparky did not care. He began tweeting loudly and rapidly about something important, and it was only when Kyr'am managed to slow him down that he understood what was happening.

He needed to talk to Relnar.

* * *

Juel picked up his bag and made to leave the cockpit of the '_Kessel's Breath_', the rain lashing down across the canopy, blurring the landscape beyond behind a waterfall of streaks. He was already half way through the door before he realised that Haze was still lying underneath the console, snoring loudly on her back. How she had been able to fall asleep during the journey through the storm was beyond him. He had been struggling with a headache since they had made atmosphere.

The trip across Mandalore had not been a pleasant one. The coordinates that Kyr'am had given him and the directions to follow had been complicated enough, but to then try and do it in the middle of a raging storm that could be seen from orbit was something else. With his heightened sense of hearing he had heard every thunderclap, every droplet of rain on the hull, and every crackle of lightning as it had ripped the sky. The storm on Hoth had been challenging enough, trying to isolate the sounds of ships, people, creatures and the storm itself, not to mention the countless shifts of the glacier beneath his feet, but this storm was unlike any he had ever seen before. Now that he was beneath it, he felt a little better, his head felt a little clearer. Being out of the cloud gave him back his control.

"You coming or what?" he said a little impatiently. He did not know why he was feeling so impatient, it wasn't like they were in a hurry. The slice hound growled lazily and rolled a little to face him, half opening her eyes.

Juel knew that look.

"I'm not carrying you, you lazy beast," he said quickly, suppressing a smile.

Her eyes widened and she began to cry, little fake cries that would make her sound like a chastised puppy.

"Stop that, right now," Juel said laughing. "It's not going to work on me this time. Get your butt off this ship and into that building and I'll find you something raw to eat." Her ears suddenly perked up and in a flash she had rolled over onto her legs and had pushed passed him through the door, her leg still a little tender and a slight lopsidedness to her run.

Juel followed and strode down the access ramp beneath the cockpit. The cold stormy winds raged through the trees, and in the failing light Juel could see the trees around the clearing swaying, the tops waving as they were caught by the icy breath of the storm. Haze was stood at the bottom of the ramp, her body tense and alert, three paws on the ramp and the front paw hovering over the permacrete landing pad. Juel noticed her ears twitching and as he moved to stand beside her, he saw her eyes had narrowed and were glowing a deep blood red in the gloom.

Her teeth were slightly exposed, a deep rumbling from her throat almost like a whisper as she glared towards the dark shadows beneath Corellian freighter's landing struts. Juel squinted through the hammering rain, the droplets exploding on impact with the landing pad like transparent explosions. He listened hard, an through the haze of noise that surrounded him, he could hear the laboured breathing of someone hiding in the darkness. His hand dropped to the blaster that was holstered on his hip, but before he could grasp the handle, the figure moved away from the ship towards the woods.

He turned to look and saw them vanish into the trees. Haze followed, taking a tentative step towards the scent she had picked up, her muscles still tense, waiting for the command to chase. But it never came. Juel recognised the figure. Even out of his armour and without the recognisable helmet, the stance and the frame were a dead give away.

It was Kyr'am's son, Taler.

"Steady, girl," he whispered softly. "He's a friend. Let him go."

Haze looked up at him with a puzzled look, one ear still turned towards the woods where Taler had vanished.

"He'll come back when he is ready."

Haze still looked up at him, her eyes glowing in the darkening storm. But instead of rippling with the excitement of the hunt, he could now see something else in her eyes. They were concerned. He knew that Slice Hounds were maternal creatures, and that despite their vicious appearance, they were incredibly maternal.

"Okay, if you're that worried, go keep an eye on him," Juel said quietly, kneeling down beside her and stroking behind her ear. "Just stay a fair distance from him, and stay safe." Haze looked up at him and nuzzled her face up against his affectionately before slinking down close to the ground and bounding off silently into the night. Juel heard her rustle a few blades of grass before she seemed to become completely invisible. She was, after all, a top predator.

Left alone, he shouldered his bag once more and walked from beneath the cover of the star yacht out into the rain, crossing the landing pad and striding down the ramp that led to the bunker entrance. The door slid open when he walked up to it, and as he stepped inside, he was drawn towards the central chamber where he could hear the aggravated voice of Kyr'am arguing with the loud electronic chirps of his astromech.

_'This is one hell of a dysfunctional family,'_ he thought to himself with a smile.

Rounding the corner of the passage and emerging into the main central chamber, he saw Kyr'am sat on a curved seat near the far end of the room, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands as the astromech stood a few feet away squeaking and squawking loudly about something Juel could not understand.

"I know there's a storm outside, genius," Kyr'am growled, lifting his head from his hands and glaring at the barrel shaped droid. "There's always a _Shabla_ storm. That's what the eviro-drive was for. So just quit your complaining and connect the long range boosters and get me a connection to the holonet."

The droid squeaked an obviously rude response and trundled out through the door, almost running over Juel's feet in the process. Kyr'am shook his head and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Having trouble?" Juel asked kindly, staying near the door. Kyr'am parted his fingers and looked back at him for a moment before breaking into a resigned laugh.

"You could say that," he grumbled from behind his hands. "Where's Taler?"

"He's gone for a bit of a walk," Juel said softly.

Kyr'am looked up sharply, a flicker of worry creeping across his face.

"Think he had a few things to work through in his own mind. Don't worry, Haze is keeping an eye on him," he added, trying to sooth his worries. "Nice place you got here," he said, walking towards the centre of the room and admiring the arched ceiling. It was plain, simple and well stocked, everything he expected from a Mandalorian's home. It was less a house as a fortified military outpost, with just the occasional homely touch.

"It'll do for now," Kyr'am said. Juel could tell from his tone that even though he loved this place, he was also prepared to leave it at moments notice and never return to it. It was the Mandalorian way. "Fancy a drink?"

"Sure," Juel replied, finally dropping his bag onto the end of the curved sofa. Kyr'am got to his feet and made his way across to an archway and vanished into the next room, which Juel assumed to be a pantry or a kitchen of sorts. He emerged a few moments later with two small glasses and a bottle of something dark and brown. Kyr'am sat down once more, and without saying what it was, tipped a few fingers of the liquid into each glass and handed one to Juel.

He did not wait to toast, but simply threw it into his mouth. Juel did the same and he clamped his eyes closed as he felt the bitter liquid burn as it trickled down his throat. It smelled of smoke and burning trees, and there was an after taste of something sweet that lingered for just a second too long to make it pleasant. Opening his eyes and feeling them water lightly, he saw Kyr'am refilling his glass. He tried to resist, but Kyr'am had already half filled it before he could make his mouth make any sound.

Kyr'am, having refilled his own glass as well, sat down heavily on the sofa, his armour clanking noisily as he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

Juel sat down and leaned his arms on his knees, cradling the drink between his hands, uncertain whether he should drink any more. For almost ten minutes they sat in silence. Juel was about to start speaking when Kyr'am broke the silence.

"Why did I lie to him?" he said painfully. "I adopted him as my own. I took him as my son. I should have trusted him enough to be honest with him."

"I've come into this half way through, chief," Juel said diplomatically. "I don't know half the stuff that's been going on between you two."

"How long you got?" Kyr'am asked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

**Dark thoughts**

"_Cabur Aliit"_

_Mandalore_

_Mandalore System_

Jenna lay on the bunk in the corner of the holding cell and stared up at the ceiling. There was no point of reference, no windows or chronos, so she had no idea how much time had passed since she had been thrown into the cell and left. But from a rough guess, she estimated it had been about two hours. Two hours and no one had been to check on her, no one had been to ask her any questions. She had no doubt that there were surveillance cameras mounted in the walls and ceiling – no one would be stupid enough to have holding cells and not keep an eye on the prisoners.

Her hands were still bound by the cuffs, the metal braces around her wrists joined by two interlocking metal rods. She lifted them up in front of her face to study them more closely, making a show of being mildly annoyed for anyone watching. What she was actually doing was looking for the locking mechanism, and trying to work out how best to break it.

After a few moments, she gave up with a loud sigh.

She casually cast her eyes around the darkened room, taking in everything that she could see beyond the shimmering blue haze of the containment field. Whoever was watching would see her simply looking bored and trying to entertain herself, but she was memorising every inch of the room, and scrutinizing it, looking for any small detail that might give her the edge she needed to plan her escape. She did not plan on being in there for long.

Lights flickered on the far wall beside the door frame, and the rest of the walls were bare. There was not even a sign of where the cameras could be. It was at times like this that she really missed having her armour.

The door to the holding cell room opened, a sliver of light cutting into the gloomy room before expanding into a rectangle of blinding white. She half turned away, the light momentarily blinding her. A shadow stepped into the opening, and then the door closed. Her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness quickly, and she found herself looking at the Sullustan who hours before she had been holding captive in the hold of Kyr'am's ship. Juel, if she remembered his name right. In his hand he held a plate of food.

"Feeding time at the zoo," he said cheerfully, his odd layered cheeks creasing in an odd smile.

"No thank you," Jenna said casually, turning away trying to hide the hunger she actually felt. She suddenly realised how long it had been since she had last eaten.

"Oh, come on, girly," Juel replied. "It's the very best field rations and protein cubes."

"As tempting as that is, I'll pass."

"Well, suit yourself," he said with a shrug. "It's here if you want it."

He stepped up to the containment field and tapped a control in his hand. At the bottom of the field, a small rectangle opened up near one of the support columns and he slipped the tray through, the hole sealing up instantly behind it. He stood up again and smiled back at her once more, crossing the room and dragging one of the containers from the nearest wall and placing it in front of her cell.

"So what's your story?" he said. He was making a huge effort to sound casual, and Jenna picked up on it. He was good, he knew how to hide it, but she was better. Years of tracking bounties and knowing when leads were lying to her had made her a quick study of people, and she could tell who was lying almost every time.

"What do you want to know?" she asked in return, not taking her eyes off the ceiling. She lifted her bound wrists and placed them behind her head as though she was simply relaxing in a five star resort.

"Why are you out this far? A classy looking Mandalorian like you should be hitting the high class targets around Coruscant and Naboo, not these back water slums."

"Maybe the price was too good to miss?" she said lazily. "What do you care?"

"I just like getting to know people is all," he said folding his arms. It was a sure fire sign he was guarding himself. He knew that she would try to get through his ploy, and he was being very careful with his answers.

"Even prisoners?" she asked raising an eye brow.

"Anyone," he said. "Life is too diverse not to take an interest."

"You are an odd little man."

"I've been called worse." He paused, and his eyes glazed over for a moment as though he was concentrating. "So what was this job worth? Couple of thousand? Bet that Soruu guy is going to be very annoyed by this turn of events..."

"Just drop it now," Jenna said, cutting across him, getting fed up.

"Drop what?" he said shrugging innocently. He was good.

"I know you're trying to get information out of me about this job, well I ain't talking. And you can tell that Kyr'am yourself. I know he's watching us and feeding you those questions. Where is it? Where have you hidden the communicator?"

"Don't need one," Juel grinned, tapping his ears softly.

"You have my armour, and you undoubtedly have my ship as well..."

"That's not your ship," Juel cut across with a smile. "It's no more your ship than it is mine. You 'acquired' it."

"Whatever," she snapped, realising that he was mocking her.

"Just tell me what I want to know," he asked kindly.

"Or what? I'm not scared of you, or him," she said defiantly, flicking her chin towards the door. Juel's smile widened, and she did not like it.

"You can't lie to me, girly," he said leaning back on the crate. "You might not be scared of me, or even our mutual blue-armoured friend upstairs. But your heart is beating hard, and I mean properly hard. You're scared of something."

She had been without her armour before, but she had never felt this exposed before. She hid the momentary flicker of fear that she knew had crept across her face, and tried desperately to control her racing heart. She swung her legs off the bunk and planted them on the floor, mirroring the Sullustan's pose as he watched her. She rested her arms on her knees.

"Who is this Soruu guy?" Juel asked.

"He is one of the most powerful, and ruthless of the Hutt cartels, and Kyr'am is right at the top of his wanted list," Jenna said simply. "I told you before in the ship, I have no idea what he did to tick him off this much, but whatever the reason, Soruu wants his head on a platter, and he is offering enough credits to make every bounty hunter across the outer rim territories level their blasters on the very centre of his visor."

For long, silent moments, Jenna and the Sullustan just stared at one another, neither moving or even breathing. Finally, Juel rose to his feet and moved the crate back to the wall. He stepped towards the door and as he reached it, he looked back over his shoulder.

"If Kyr'am did something to annoy Soruu, and now there's a contract on his head, I'm sure it won't be long before one comes out on you for failing to get him," Juel said. "Just something to think about. Enjoy your meal," he added.

Tapping the controls beside the door, the door sealed itself and Jenna was plunged into darkness once more.

* * *

_Lor'una Forest_

_8 clicks North east of "Cabur Aliit"_

Taler knew the creature had been following him since he had slipped away from beneath the freighter back at the landing pad, but he had so many other things on his mind that he did not care. The Slice hound could follow him as far as it wanted to.

Rain lashed down through the swaying boughs of the trees as the thunderstorm raged overhead. Oddly, he found it comforting. It reminded him of Kamino. The storms that ravaged the support columns that held Tipoca city just above the tsunami sized waves seemed to be never ending, and it was a constant presence through his artificially short childhood. The vast glass ceilings would show the lightning crackle as it shattered the grey skies, and the rain would fall so heavy it looked like a waterfall passing each of the windows.

The past few months he had been trying so hard to forget everything about his life before Geonosis, but recent events had made him long for the simpler times, just him and his brothers, with nothing else to worry about except training for the mission. He wished he could think away all he had seen of the galaxy, everything that he had never wanted to know. No feelings of guilt, hatred, betrayal, or anger.

His mind went to thoughts of his brothers. Vin and Jay. He saw their faces as he looked down on them in that cavern. So peaceful, as though they could almost be asleep. He felt the handles of their DC-15s's as they rested in their holsters on his thighs. He pulled them out and saw their names carved into each handle. It was something that the Mandalorian instructors had taught them – off the record. It was customary to take a piece of a fallen comrades armour or kit, to remind you of them and so that a piece of them will always be with you.

Taler suddenly realised that he hadn't taken a piece of armour, he had taken their blasters. It was something he could use. Their instructor had tried to make him see that it was a piece of them they were to carry, a memory, a feeling. But he had been so brainwashed by the accelerated learning that all he could see were soldiers with assets to collect.

And then his memories tripped and he remembered Darman. Darman was his brother too. He had stayed behind to keep the tunnel clear. Taler had not found him after the cave in. He did not have anything that was Darman's to remember him by. He was lost.

Anger seethed through Taler like fire, burning behind his eyes and making them sting with unshed tears. He had lost everything and all he had found since was hatred, prejudice and betrayal.

The face of the Quarren Jedi flashed in front of his eyes, the smugness behind those hateful blue eyes seeping into Taler's chest like a sharpened blade. He blinked it away, but it was replaced by Kyr'am's face, the old man who had taken him from Geonosis, adopted him, and then lied to him.

It was too much.

He ran out through the trees into a clearing and, standing in the middle of the open space, the sodden grass clawing at his legs, he threw his head towards the blackened, storm-filled sky and screamed. The trees swayed away from him as though they were afraid of his pain, and the rain gently fell across his cheeks, brushing away his salty tears and trying to sooth his broken heart. His fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his left palm and the bare metal of his cybernetic hand ripping through the synthetic flesh of his right.

His lungs emptied of breath, and all his energy left him. He fell to his knees in the middle of the clearing and his head fell forwards, his chin resting on his heaving chest. His brothers blasters fell from his hands and came to rest on the muddy ground beside him. The rain fell softly against his skin, his once short black hair had now grown and was a curtain of strands in front of his eyes. His bantha hide jacket was darkened by the water, and all his clothes were soaked through.

"Why me?" he whispered gently under his breath. "Why didn't I die with you?"

The wind offered no reply, its billowing voice howling through the trees.

"I wish I could understand this pain," he pleaded. "I wish I didn't feel it."

The hammering of his heart was the only reply.

"Maybe I should just end it now," he growled defiantly, turning his eyes towards the skies once more, his hand scooping up one of the blasters and tightening around the grip. He raised it sharply and planted it against the side of his temple.

A ripple of shock seemed to crash through the woods, and the sky lit up harshly as a lightning bolt tore through the clouds.

"Tell me why I lived!" he demanded.

He pressed the barrel even harder against his head.

"Tell ME!"

A shadow moved along the tree line, and Taler instantly snapped his eyes towards it, ripping the gun away from his head, aiming the barrel towards the edge of the clearing. For long silent moments nothing happened, and his hand shook uncontrollably.

Red eyes emerged from the gloom, blinking slowly as the rest of the body emerged from between the trees. It was the slice hound that had been following him. Taler's nerves were shot, and his control was rapidly vanishing. He backed away, scrambling across the floor as he held the shaking gun towards the approaching beast.

"Stay back," he demanded.

The slice hound did not stop. She held her head low to the ground and her eyes remained locked on his.

"I mean it," he cried, his voice cracking and the tears still streaming down his cheeks.

The creature stepped slowly forwards, closing the gap between them. Taler stopped suddenly, his back now pressed hard against the tree on the edge of the clearing. His heart was hammering in his chest louder than the thunder that raged across the sky, and his breathing was so erratic he found himself struggling to keep up.

She crept ever nearer, her eyes never leaving his, and her ears lowered against her skull.

"Leave me alone," he cried with a shaking voice.

The slice hound was less than a foot away from the end of the barrel now. She stepped forwards once more and lowered her head beneath his hand, gently pushing it aside with the front of her nose.

"Please," he whispered. "Leave me alone."

All the energy left his body and his hand holding the blaster dropped to the floor with a dull thud. His whole body felt numb, and he stopped trying to control his tears. They fell, unashamed.

The slice hound stepped closer and stood beside him, resting her head against his shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort. Taler had never been comforted in his life, especially on Tipoca City. They were soldiers in training, and did not need to be molly-coddled. They were to be disciplined. He had never felt this kind of feeling before, but he let himself accept it. He lifted his hand to the hounds neck and held onto her as though his life depended on it. His fingers clenched softly into the coarse hair on its back and he held her close.

The thing that surprised him most of all was that she let him.

After a few moments, he slackened his grip, and the hound stepped back, sitting down on the wet grass and looking back at him. He gazed into her glowing red eyes, and suddenly everything had changed. She was not the viscous killer he had read about in the files. She was not the bloodthirsty hunter after the next big prey. She looked back at him with sympathy and compassion in her eyes. She looked back at him with worry.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He didn't think she would understand him, but she lifted her front paw and rested it on his torn and broken mechanical hand.

Her ears pricked up suddenly, and she looked back over her shoulder. Getting up, she trotted to the middle of the clearing and rummaged around in the long grass with her nose before she lifted her head again and Taler could see the other blaster he had dropped on the floor hanging from her mouth. She walked back to him and dropped it down beside him softly.

"Thank you," he said, tears almost welling up in his eyes again.

She bowed her head slowly. Taler picked up the second blaster and, struggling to his feet, returned them both to their holsters. The rain still lashed against his skin, and the wind still tore through the trees like a rampaging Rancor.

"Let's get some place a bit dryer," he said with a half smile. He turned to head back through the woods when he notice the slice hound was not moving. Her legs had locked, her ears were turned to face behind her and her eyes were half closed as she sniffed the air. Years of training had made Taler aware of his surroundings, and anything that could give him a sign of impending trouble. This was definitely a sign worth listening to.

His hand dropped down to his blasters once more and he knelt beside the beast.

A large object moved in the dense woods, and before Taler could blink, the slice hound had lunged into the darkness. Taler was a second behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

**Past mistakes**

"_Cabur Aliit"_

_Mandalore_

_Mandalore System_

Kyr'am stood by the door to the bunker, the rain lashing down across the landing strip about a hundred meters away. Waterfalls ran off the sides of the ships as they stood silently on the pad, the dark shadows underneath as deep as night, the trees swaying harshly beyond. Kyr'am was wearing his helmet and as he slowly scanned his eyes along the tree line, he ran through all the different scanners and filters that were built into his visor, watching for any kind of movement.

"Where are you, lad?" he said quietly to himself.

Looking up, he watched the dark clouds bubble above him, being dragged violently around them in a wide circle that covered the entire area and hid it from space. It was useful to keep his home hidden from prying eyes, but with Taler still out there somewhere in the trees, it could potentially be a big problem. Weighing up both sides of the argument in his head, he chose to ignore both and go with his heart. His heart was filled with fear and worry about Taler, and it spoke louder than his mind.

Reaching into the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a data pad and tapped the screen, inputting instructions into the glowing device. It flickered and chirped, and he read the message that flickered across the screen.

_'Enviro-drive reduced to fifty three percent.'_

The clouds seemed to thin out a little, the rain became lighter, and the wind becoming a soft groan where before it had been a vicious growl. Kyr'am scanned his eyes across the landing pad and the distant tree line that surrounded the bunker once more, the shadows beneath the ships lighter, though still deep enough to hide in. He had softened the storm, but not ended it.

Still he saw nothing.

A wild squeaking and squealing erupted form inside the bunker behind him and as he spun around he saw the rusted little astromech sliding into the corridor and slamming into the wall, his dome spinning wildly.

"What?... Wait! Slow it down, will you," he said irritatedly. The droid stopped suddenly, and seemed to glare up at Kyr'am as though he had asked him to simply stop existing. After a moments pause though the chattering and squealing resumed, albeit at a more comprehensible pace.

Kyr'am instantly wished he had not asked the droid to slow down. Despair flooded his body, shaded by anger at the situation, and he knew he would struggle to keep his nerve and maintain an image of calm.

Sparky has been able to cut through the interference, and had finally got a signal out to the holonet. Unfortunately, there was already a message waiting for Kyr'am.

It was not good news.

Relnar was never good news. With a final look out across the landing strip, he followed the chattering astromech back into the bunker and sealed the door.

* * *

Jenna was troubled by her thoughts. The more she tried to not think about it, the more it plagued her mind. Though she hated to admit it, the Sullustan had been right, and if she did not return with Kyr'am in tow, Sorru would have no problem in putting a price on her hear. She had seen it many times before, and had even collected on the bounties of those who had let him down.

She shuffled uncomfortably on the bunk, twisting her wrists in the cuffs that still gripped her arms tightly. She had to try and find a way to get out. Then it was only a small matter of finding her things, incapacitating Kyr'am and his pet clone, dispensing of the big eared freak and his dog, and then dragging Kyr'am's hide back to Sorru to claim the bounty.

Simple really.

When did it all start to go wrong? This was not the first bounty that she had chased across half of the outer rim, and it had certainly not started out as the most difficult either. She had chased Wookies three times her size across the forests of Kashyyyk and brought them down with a trip wire and a stun net. She had fought through an entire army of Separatist droids to take down Gommorean slavers on Christophsis without even breaking a sweat. And she had even faced an angry mother Acklay with nothing more than a sharpened stick and a pure skill. Knocking out an old man should not have been this hard. She most certainly should not have ended up in a containment cell.

Keeping her expression as neutral as she could, she slowly moved her gaze across the distant wall, and across the floor around the containment cell forcefield. Most containment cells used vast amounts of power, and required an exterior power supply. She knew how to disrupt the signal if she could isolate where it entered the containment field. It would not get her out, but it would cause a flicker in the power output that was enough to trick the sensors into thinking she had escaped. This would usually bring her captors running. That was the theory anyway. She had never had to put it into practice.

Half closing her eyes, she listened for the distinctive hum of the power as it swept into the bright blue shimmering cube. It was coming from the nearside support pillar.

Casually standing up, she walked over to the corner and leaned against the column. She could feel the rumbling beneath her foot, and with an exaggerated cough, she stomped hard against the plate beneath her.

Nothing happened.

She tried it again, this time with more force, digging the heel of her boot into the solid metal floor. Still nothing. It had always worked before. Why was it not working this time?

She returned to the bunk and sat herself down, a little dejected that her plan had failed. Listening to the hum, she found it coming from another of the columns, this time at the far end of the cell. Standing up and walking over to it, she coughed an kicked the floor again, but this resulted in nothing more than a slight dulling of the field. Walking slowly around the edge of the cell, she found herself hearing the hum from all four corners. There were multiple power taps, one in each corner. Kyr'am knew the tricks.

The food the Sullustan had brought her still lay in the corner of the cell, now next to her feet, hardly changing colour from when it was first brought in. When it was made mostly of ration cubes and protein packs, she guessed there was not much there to discolour. Her stomach grumbled noisily and she finally had to admit that she was hungry. It had been nearly two days since her last meal.

Determined not to let Kyr'am win, she left the food on the tray, but chose to drink from the pouch of water that lay beside the plate. She could starve for days, but she needed to keep drinking. The water tasted slightly metallic, and ran out much quicker than she would have liked, but it was cooling against her lips. The last few drops she used to wipe across her forehead.

In the darkened cellar beneath the bunker, it was deathly silent, and all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. When everything else around her fell quiet, she could hear what the Sullustan had heard. She was scared, and the admission of that scared her more than her fear of Sorru.

With no way to break or disrupt the power to the containment field, and all her equipment locked away somewhere in the bunker or even on one of the ships outside, there was little else that Jenna could do except to wait and see if an opportunity arose. With a half sigh, she resigned herself to being stuck, and returned to the bunk. Lying down on the uncomfortable mattress, she rested her bound hands against her stomach and stared up at the ceiling, dreaming about collecting the bounty, and finally buying her freedom.

* * *

Kyr'am's shoulders sagged as he felt his heart cry. The message from Relnar had not been what he had wanted to hear, and it put more pressure on him than he could happily handle. And on top of that, there was still no sign of Taler. Standing on the landing pad, the rain still falling across the lush forest and the grass covered clearing, he prayed for his son.

He had to hope that Taler would be able to forgive him and find his way back. He was only doing what he thought had been right, what he thought a father should do for his child. But then, Taler was no ordinary child. He was a full grown man, an elite soldier, and an angry survivor, trying to deal with everything that the galaxy had thrown at him with only ten years of life under his belt. And those ten years had been spent training, drilling, and flash learning everything he needed to survive and fight, with nothing on how to cope with emotions.

The Republic had broken him, and Kyr'am was finally realising how badly he had been broken.

"He'll come back," Juel said, his voice floating across the landing pad as he strolled casually up the slope from the entrance to the bunker. He lifted his collar up around his neck to keep out as much of the rain as he could. Kyr'am quickly looked back over his shoulder, forgetting that he simply had to look up and the wrap-around sensor would have shown his approach. It was good that he still did that, because it was never good to rely wholly on tech.

"Hope you're right," Kyr'am said softly, turning back to look out across the clearing again.

"He's young, and he has a lot to work through. Give him time."

"That might be one thing we don't have," Kyr'am whispered to himself. He knew that the Sullustan would probably hear him, but Juel remained very discreet. If he had heard him, he was choosing not to respond.

"It's been another hour," Juel stated casually. "Want me to go down and chat to our friend again?"

"No," Kyr'am signed. "I don't think we are going to get much more out of her. Besides," he added, tapping the data pad in his hand. "Have a look at this." he handed the device to Juel and leaned back against the wall. The Sullustan cast a glance down the form in front of him, and his eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"I had Sparky slice into her helmet systems when we landed," Kyr'am explained. "For a droid he seemed incredibly motivated to get his own back on her for what she did. This is the last bounty she picked up."

"Wow," he said simply. Kyr'am had seen them before, many time. But none had ever had his name on it. It was a wanted poster, with descriptions of his armour, his face, and an obviously old image of him when he was maybe twenty years younger – the last time he had been caught not wearing his helmet in public. He always made a point now of covering his face wherever they may be covert surveillance cams.

Across the bottom of the poster was a number so big that Kyr'am had even considered turning himself in to claim it.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"That's a lot of credits," Juel said, his lips almost watering with excitement at seeing the value. Kyr'am kept a close watch on him.

"You tempted by it?" he asked him evenly, his far side hand dropping silently to his blaster holstered on his hip. Juel looked up from the poster, his eyes flicking momentarily to Kyr'am's hand then back to his helmeted face.

"Who wouldn't be," Juel said honestly. "But I kinda like you guys, so I'll stick with you a while I think." He smiled back at Kyr'am, and he could sense that it was genuine. "You know, until I find something I really need the credits for. Kinda like the idea of a gold plated collar for Haze. Hear they can be a bit pricey."

"Yeah, well that isn't even the worst news I've had today," Kyr'am sighed.

"What's happened now?" Juel asked, almost sounding as though he was getting fed up of all these problems.

"Cos the deal we had with your captain kinda went south, my client now wants up to 'compensate' him for his losses," Kyr'am said through ground teeth. Relnar was a Neimoidian through and through.

"There was a lot of credits worth of hardware we were transporting," Juel said with a shrug. "Where you gonna get that kind of gear?"

"I've got an idea, but it means I've had to call in a few favours."

"Do you ever have a quiet life?" Juel asked looking at Kyr'am with a lopsided grin.

For a moment Kyr'am was confused but them realised that Juel was only joking. A smile cracked his worried expression and, despite himself, he laughed. But his laughter was short lived.

A bolt of lightning tore across the skies to the west, lighting up the late afternoon gloom for a fraction of a second. A deep, groan-like noise echoed out from the trees and Kyr'am stepped towards it unconsciously.

"What was that?" Juel asked, having heard it much louder and much clearer than Kyr'am had.

"Not sure," Kyr'am said quietly, still watching the edges of the clearing. "I know what made the noise, but not what caused it. Whatever's going on, it was close."

His hand was already reaching for the blaster when the second roar broke the white noise of the rain and made the distant trees shiver as though in fear. The tell-tale ring of a blaster bolt silenced the rain, and Kyr'am reacted instantly. He drew his blasters and bolted for the tree line, with Juel only a few steps behind, drawing his own blaster.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

**Family reunion**

_Lor'una Forest_

_Mandalore_

_Mandalore System_

Taler dropped down onto his knee, levelling the blasters once again on the face of the creature that bounded around the edge of the clearing, dodging in and out of the trees, preventing him from getting a straight shot. Haze was crouched behind him, her back turned to him as she growled menacingly at three more of the beasts who were slowly stalking nearer.

Beside them was the dead body of an unfortunate creature that had been the subject of these beasts interest. The blood trickled down its smooth tan hide, and red stains smeared its majestic antlers. Taler had watched the beasts bring it down as a pack and had felt a pang of sadness at the sight. Unfortunately, they had been upwind of the pack, and they had picked up their scent the moment they had brought down their prey. Instantly, they had switched their attention from the dead creature to Taler and Haze.

One of the three behind him lunged forwards. Haze leapt to intercept it, her legs throwing her up into the air and her jaw opening wide, her teeth clamping shut around the attackers exposed neck. They tumbled away across the clearing floor, a second beast bounding after them. Taler had turned just in time to see this, and noticed the third hunter lunging a second after the first, though this one did not have Haze to worry about. It dived at Taler's head.

His arm shot out sharply, and he felt it close around the thick mane around the top of its shoulder. With all the strength he could managed, he wrenched it aside, throwing it over his shoulder and rolling across the floor, coming to rest on his knees. He saw the beast soar through the air and slam into the antlers of the dead beast, the sharp tips ripping into the hunters side. It yelped in pain and fell limply to the floor, four deep gouges in its side weeping blood.

Taler spun around quickly. The third beast who he had been watching appeared before him, already running at full tilt towards him. They had worked as a team to distract them and divide them, and now the leader was going in for the attack. It leapt, its jaw open wide.

Taler lifted his hands and grabbed hold of the gaping maw, one hand on its bottom jaw, the other on its snout. The force of the dive threw Taler back off his knees and he fell onto the floor, the creature landing on top of him, its clawed feet scratching at his arms as he struggled to hold the mouth away from his neck. The sharp talons did not affect his cybernetic arm, but they dug deep grooves into his left forearm. He clenched his teeth hard, trying to push through the pain, his arm quivering as he struggled to hold the beast away.

The teeth were mere centimetres from his face, and he could smell the putrid, vile breath. The beast pulled back a fraction and reared up quickly, Taler never once opening his grip. It suddenly put all its strength into its hind legs and pushed forwards.

The darkness of its mouth and the sharpness of its teeth shot down towards him, and Taler braced himself for pain.

* * *

Kyr'am lunged over a broken tree and erupted into the clearing just in time to see the beast pull back and bear down on Taler as he lay on the floor, his arms covered in blood, and his hands shaking as he held back the manned beast. His reactions were instantaneous.

"_Talika,_" he yelled, still running towards the centre of the clearing, bringing his blaster up rapidly and levelling it in a single breath. With his second breath, he squeezed the trigger. The barrel erupted in a blinding ball of light, a streak of green slicing through the air and burying itself in the side of the beasts head as it almost clamped down on Taler's neck. The beasts head snapped sideways sharply, and the body fell aside, a smoking hole in the side of its head.

Kyr'am did not break his stride, racing across the open ground between the trees towards his son. But before he had even reached him, Taler had scrambled to his feet and was running in the opposite direction, darting for the shadows around the edge of the clearing. Kyr'am thought he may have been trying to get away from him, but a sharp yelp from the darkness made him realise that was not the case. He could see the fear and anger on Taler's face as he ran faster than he had ever seen anyone run before. Taler was a soldier, born and bred.

* * *

Taler reached the edge of the clearing and darted into the darkness beyond. He was almost completely blind in the gloom, but he followed his ears, homing in on the pained sounds of the Slice hound. A wild rustling in the bushes ahead drew him closer and without thinking, he leapt through the leafy branches.

Haze was lying on her side in the shadow of a tree, kicking her legs furiously, scratching at the two beasts as they snapped and bit at her, their claws scratching her fur, their teeth tearing her skin. Taler slid down the side of the slope that led down to her and threw himself at the nearest beast, grabbing hold of it around the middle and rolling away across the forest floor before coming to rest on top of it. It thrashed and bit, trying to free itself from his grip, but he was not going to let it go.

Pinning it down with his own body, he reached up with his cybernetic hand and closed his fingers around its snout. With one quick motion, he wrenched it upwards sharply, snapping its neck. With a wet crack, followed by a dull thud, the creatures head slumped sideways at an unnatural angle.

"Haze," a yell came from the top of the slope. Taler spun around and saw Juel burst through the leaves of the bushed, and slide down on his back, his blaster spewing bolt after bolt of energy towards the last beast as it stood over Haze. The bolts flew true and slammed into the side of the creature, peppering it with smoking holes before it slumped down on top of the worryingly still Slice hound.

Taler was already half way to his feet when the Sullustan reached the bottom of the slope. Taler cleared the last few feet to where the Slice hound was lying and shoved the dead beast from on top of her. Blood poured out from scratches and cuts all across her ribs, and her mouth was caked with red. Her red eyes had darkened and were almost black, and a soft, heartbreaking whimper came from deep within her throat. Taler reached out and softly stroked fur across her neck, his bloodied fingers brushing the coarse hair. She tried to lift her head, whimpering as she did so, and licked his hand in a reassuring way.

"Stay with me girl," he whispered.

As gently as he could, he slipped his arms beneath her and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. Her breathing was weak. Struggling to his feet, he turned around and saw Juel standing on the edge of the smaller clearing, his hand shaking and his eyes filling with tears as he looked at his loyal pet covered in blood. Taler was about to ask if he wanted to carry her but he could see that Juel was in no condition to do that.

"We need to help her," Taler said, trying to get Juel to think. The Sullustan looked up at him with vacant eyes for a moment as though he had not heard what he had said. But he blinked away the tears and nodded. Turning on his heels, he followed Taler up the slope back towards the big clearing.

As they broke through the leaves, Taler saw Kyr'am kneeling beside the large creature the four beasts had been hunting, stroking the fur. He turned when he heard them approach and saw Taler carrying the Slice hound.

"We need to get he back to the bunker," Taler said evenly, all anger he felt towards Kyr'am forgotten for the moment.

"Follow me," Kyr'am said sharply.

The three made their way as fast as they could through the dense forest, the rain still falling through the gaps in the leaves high above them. The clear droplets fell on Haze, washing away some of the blood that was caking the fur across her face.

They emerged from the forest onto the landing pad, the dark gloomy canopy making way to dark anthracite skies.

"Juel, grab Haze an follow me. I've got medipacks in the basement. We can stabilize her until we can get her some better help," Kyr'am said quickly. Juel stepped beside Taler and gently took her from his arms. Taler did not argue, she was his friend after all. As they moved her across, Taler had to lean down as Juel was considerably shorter than he was, and Haze lifted her head and licked his cheek, washing away the tears he had not noticed he had been shedding. The gesture immobilised him, and he watched as Juel and Kyr'am slipped down the walkway into the bunker.

* * *

Kyr'am left Juel and Haze in one of the downstairs bunk rooms, just down the corridor from the containment cells. The Slice hound was in a bad way, and Juel was struggling to hold it together, but Kyr'am knew he could do nothing until help arrived. He stepped out onto the landing pad once more and was relieved to see that Taler was still standing there.

"She's stable, for now," he said softly.

"She saved me," Taler replied absent-mindedly.

"Slice hounds are always good in a scrap," Kyr'am said.

"That's not what I mean," Taler whispered. Kyr'am creased his brow, trying to understand what Taler meant, but the silence that followed told him he would not find out today.

"About what happened on Hoth," he began softly. Taler's face changed instantly. The fear and sadness he had felt a moment before vanished, and anger filled his eyes. "I want to explain..."

"Explain what?" Taler snapped, taking a step towards him. "Explain how you lied to me? How you were transporting weapons that are to be used against clones? Just how expendable am I to you?"

That comment tore through Kyr'am's heart like a shard of glass.

"_Talika_," Kyr'am said, trying to hold back the trembling of his voice. Taler would not listen. He turned sharply and snapped.

"Don't call me that. I'm not your son!"

"Please, listen..."

"Why are you keeping me around? Am I just a pet? Another useful tool to have like Sparky? Or are you just biding your time before you sell me back to the Republic for a nice stack of credits?"

"I'd never..."

"Here you go Chancellor, one clone deserter. Thank you for the reward. Bye now." Taler was yelling as loud as he could now. He had every right to be angry. He had been betrayed all his life, and been lied to from the very start by everyone around him. Kyr'am had not thought twice about withholding information from him, believing it to be nothing worth mentioning.

But he could now see how it would have affected someone like Taler, someone who had never been taught how to deal with their emotions. He had been grown too fast, and everything he knew was flash learned. How could he have expected him to deal with the galaxy this quickly?

Kyr'am had failed him as a father.

"Taler," he began, "There's some people coming who can help us. People who will help you understand..." His words were cut off by a sudden burst of wind that forced him into silence. It grew louder and louder until it sounded like the roar of an engine. It was the roar of an engine.

He did not need to know where it came from. He already knew he had been the one to make the call after the message from Relnar. But the timing could not have been worse. His eyes locked on Taler as he looked up into the sky. They were wide with fear and panic, and his mouth hung open in a silent scream.

"You did it," Taler yelled, backing away. "You really did it."

Kyr'am looked around and tilted his head up to the stormy sky to see the source of his panic, and saw the silhouette of a republic Consular class cruiser dropping down through the clouds. Turning back around, he found himself looking down the barrel of Taler's blaster as he held it out level with his shoulder.

"You sold me out," he screamed.

"No," Kyr'am said quickly, lifting both hands to show he was sincere. "I didn't. Listen to me, it's not what it looks like."

Taler's eyes flashed with rage and with fear. He paced rapidly across the landing pad, the downdraught of the landing ship kicking up cyclones of dust and water, tugging painfully at their hair and their skin. In three paces he was standing in front of Kyr'am, and he grabbed hold of him by the neck with his cybernetic hand. Kyr'am grabbed hold of his wrist to try and break free and felt himself get lifted off the ground.

"You betrayed me," Taler screamed, holding the blaster against Kyr'am's forehead.

"_Talika_, please," Kyr'am groaned, barely loud enough as he struggled to breath, Taler's hand clamped tight around his voicebox.

"They've come to get me!"

"No. Taler, listen to me."

"NO!"

A bright light erupted from the nose of the ship and swept down across the landing pad and stopped directly on Taler and Kyr'am. The world around them faded into darkness as the dazzling brightness blinded them to everything else.

"Stand down," a speaker enhanced voice called out from the ship above.

Taler dropped Kyr'am back onto the ground and spun him to face the landing ship. He held his arm tight around Kyr'am's throat, making sure he could not break free while using him as a shield, the muzzle of the blaster still pressed against the side of his temple.

"I won't go back," Taler cried. "You can't make me!"

"It's not the republic," Kyr'am yelled over the sound of the engines.

"What?"

"_Talika_, it's not the republic!"

"Who is it?" Taler barked over the howling wind and roar of the engines.

"It's family," Kyr'am said.


End file.
